Well, this is a common question/doubt students and professionals have.
In this blog, I will dive deep into this topic due to its subjective nature.
It's a sensitive topic. In this article, I shall try to come to an open-minded and universally respectful conclusion.
Please note that someone else may have a different opinion. I will not disregard or disrespect any of that. And I encourage everyone else to do the same.
Everything I write is my own opinion. I am open to friendly discussions.
Comment down below. Let's talk!
What Is Music Theory?
Firstly, concepts you learn, or work on, are not the only way of learning music. They are different perspectives from different artists. None are better or worse.
Unless you are in a music school or graded on your proficiency and knowledge, you don't need to know everything. As an artist, you can have your perspective.
However, regardless of how you learn music or explore this art form, there are certain fundamental concepts and theories in any form of music.
Below are some fundamental concepts that all expressions of music share in common:
Rhythm/time
Pitch/melody
Dynamics/control
A sense of speech/communication/expression
An ideology/philosophy
If you feel I have missed out on something, please feel free to mention it below in the comments.
So, music theory is essentially a method to understand/explain/explore the inner workings of these fundamentals to have a certain level of definition and deep understanding of this art form.
And this understanding can be shared or passed on to the next generations, to continue further evolution of this art form.
Why Should We Consider Looking Into Music Theory?
There can be many benefits to knowing music theory. Below, I have written out some common uses of music theory:
Analysing a piece of music. Including harmony, melody, style, and form (if any).
Having some context for learning and teaching music.
Treating it as a "road map" while tackling complex harmonic changes.
Exploring intervallic ideas such as a chord voicings and arpeggio patterns.
An understanding of time, pulse, and its subdivisions.
Communication with other professional musicians.
Building a vocabulary that will help in compositional and improvisational ideas.
Understanding music as a whole, rather than only understanding your instrument.
The ability to identify creative cells of music.
Again, if you feel I missed something, mention them below in the comments sections. Always nice to hear other perspectives.
So Does This Mean I Can't Make Music Without Knowing Theory?
Of course, you can make music without knowing theory.
There are enough musicians and artists who create beautiful music without this knowledge. That is another kind of talent. Neither is better than the other.
Music theory is a road map. You can find your path in music without it as well. You will probably have a different way of looking at things.
It's ok, as long as you create what you like and understand the fundamentals mentioned above.
It's a matter of choice. As an educator, I have been that guy before who taught everyone the same way.
But I realised later that all students are not the same. Every student has an artist in them, and that artist is what I would like to bring out and polish.
And if all this theory is killing that artist, I would not put the student through that and teach them differently.
Want To Learn Music?
If you wish to learn the art of music and express yourself your way, email me: contact@subharaj.com for pricing and details!
*Open to students from all over the world and all age groups.
Here are some of the things I talk about in class:
Music fundamentals and theory
Ear-training
Composition
Improvisation
The guitar as a solo instrument
Musical, compositional, and improvisational philosophies
Artistry
Expression
Comentários